Wonton Soup

Thinking back on some of the best soups that I have ever had, I was taken back to my family's vacation this past summer to Montreal, Quebec. While there, we had dinner at an adorable little Chinese restaurant. Tucked away in the heart of the city I ordered one of the best Wonton Soups that I've ever had. The broth was full of flavor and the wontons were tender and perfect! 

Trying to replicate this wonton soup, I searched the web and some of my favorite blogs for an authentic wonton soup. I stumbled upon Joy Zhang's blog joylicious. Joy was born in Shanghai, China and raised in Houston, Texas. Her beautiful blog showcases her Mother's Wonton Soup recipe. This recipe is as authentic as they come. It is so full of flavor and steaming the wontons gives them the perfect texture without overcooking them.  

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. raw shrimp, shelled and divined

1 lb. ground pork

1 package wonton wrappers

1 egg white

1 tablespoon corn starch

1 teaspoon dark sesame oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon rice wine

1 teaspoon fresh ginger

1 teaspoon sugar

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10 cups chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon white pepper

1 teaspoon dark sesame oil

1 teaspoon salt

green onions and cilantro for garnish  

Remove wonton wrappers from their package and wrap in a moist towel and set aside. This will help to ensure that the wrappers do not dry out. Wash the shrimp and then dry with a paper towel. Coarsely chop the shrimp. In a medium sized bowl, mix together shrimp, ground pork, egg white, corn starch, sesame oil, salt, rice wine, 1 teaspoon minced ginger, and sugar. 

Place 1 teaspoon of the pork and shrimp mixture in the middle of the wonton wrapper. Any more than 1 teaspoon will make it difficult to fold the wonton. Dip your finger in water and trace the border of the wrapper. This water will act as a glue when you fold it to hold the wrapper together. Fold the wrapper in half and press down the edges. Fold the wonton in half again. Pinch the middle of the wonton and bring the end pieces of the wrapper together. 

Place the wontons in a bamboo steamer on top of lettuce or cabbage leaves. The lettuce or cabbage prevents the wontons from sticking to the bamboo. You can also use parchment paper. Make sure you leave enough room around the edge of the bamboo steamer so that the steam will be able to circulate and cook the wontons.

Fill a large skillet or saucepan with enough water to fill the skillet about 1-2 inches. I used between 2 to 3 cups of water. Place the bamboo steamer in the pan and turn the heat to high. Make sure that your water when boiling does not hit the wontons. You only want to steam them and not boil them. Steam the wontons for 10 minutes. 

*If you don't have a bamboo steamer you can boil the wontons in 5 cups of water for about 5 minutes.

While the wontons are steaming, combine chicken broth, white pepper, salt, and sesame oil in a large stock pot and bring to a boil. Add cooked wontons to your soup bowl and pour hot broth over them. Garnish with green onions and cilantro. 

I hope you enjoy this wonderful soup! You can find Joy's original blog and recipe here. 

'Till next time,

Caroline